Rain chap



Sept. 27 1949. F. l. HAMMAN Erm.

RAIN CHAP Filed March 2. 1948 INVENToRs. /FQED j. HAMM/1N BALAH L/v'r mg.

liaten Septf27, 194.9

oFFlcE.-

RAIN CHAP Fred I. Haminan, Davis, and Lalah Lint,

Oakland, Calif.

Application March 2, 1948, Serial No. 12,528

(cl. ss-z) l Claim.

Our invention relates to rain chaps used to protect the trousers or hose of the wearer against rain, snow and the splashing of water from puddles.`

Oneof the objects of our invention is the provision of a light-weight, easily carried, waterproof covering for the trousersl or legs which folds compactly and neatly so that it may be vcarried in a pocket or purse and which may be easily slipped over the outer garments when a change in the weather necessitates its use.

Another object of the invention is the provision of tabs or tongues constituting upward extensions of a sleeve-like, leg-encasing portion, which tabs may be folded over a regular trouser belt and adjusted for variations in height by means of snaps or which may be -attached to the body in an adjustable fashion by snap connections to a specially-provided bel A further object of the invention is the construction of tabs in such manner that the side pockets of the trousers are -always accessible and the chaps do not extend to the seat portion and thus are not damaged when the wearer is seated.

Still anotherobject of the invention is the provision of a rain chap which covers the lower portions of the limbs of the wearer and supplements the protection of an ordinary raincoat by covering portions' not ordinarily protected by such raincoats. Y

'Ihe invention possesses other objects andfeatures of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred forms of the invention which is illustrated in the dr-awing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pair of chaps hung from the belt of the wearer;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a chap;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 0f Figure 2:

Figure 4 is a perspective of a portion of the chaps viewed from the rear; and

Figure 5 is a perspective of a portion modification of the invention.

Ofa

As illustrated in the drawings, our inventionlf provides a garment of water-proof material which may be slipped over either the trouser-leg or leg of the wearer as a protection against rain, snow, splashing of water from puddles by passing vehicles and other moisture which might otherwise soil the trousers, stockings or skin. Ordinary raincoats do not cover the lower portions of the legs, and the present invention is, therefore, intended to supplement raincoats and provide protection from the shoe-tops to adjacent the waist. The chaps are intended to be carried in a pocket, purse or other lreceptacle during clement weather and quickly and easily 'put on when adverse weather conditions make use of such protection necessary. Provision is also made for adjustment of the length of the legging or chap so that a single size garment may be used by persons of various heights, this adjustment being made by means of integral tabs which may either be brought up and folded over the belt of the wearer and adjusted for length by means of ysnaps or attached by snap members to a specially-provided belt. l

In the present invention we employ a legging I0 of tubular shape of a circumference great enough to encompass a conventional trouser leg with suflicient room so that it may be readily pulled over the trousers without creasing or otherwise damaging the press thereof. The circumferences of the tubular portion at the thigh, knee and cui are made larger than the corresponding dimensions of conventional trousers in order to permit the chaps to be conveniently drawn over the trousers. Individual leggings may be provided for each limb, or a pair of leggings may be attached to a belt, butin the preferred embodiment, illustrated in the v accompanying drawings, a separate legging for each limb is used inasmuch as it has been found that it is more convenient to don each legging separately. The chaps may be made of a variety of water-proof materials; if the chaps are used in conjunction with a raincoat, they may be made of the same material, or they may be fashioned of a clear, transparent plastic material such as Pliofllm or oiled silk. It will be noted that a, culf I I may be provided at the lower extremity to prevent fraying of the lower edge of the garment, and in this connection it may be stated that it is preferable to fold the cuff inwardly so as to prevent entrapment of water at the hem. A longitudinal tape l2 is positioned at the side seam to reinforce the garment in this region and overcome any weakness which might be imparted by reason of the stitching of the material at the seam. Thus the tubul-ar portion of the legging affords complete protection against moisture since it entirely encases the leg of the wearer and thereby prevents such mnistnrn frm mming the trousers. stockings or skin of the wearer.I For the purpose of securing the legging in position, front tongue I3 and rear tongue Il,

formed integral with the tubular portion I and each diminishing in width from the region of juncture with the tubular portion toward the upper extremity are provided and the margins of these tongues are reinforced with binding tape Il to relieve strain and prevent fraying'of the edges. By fashioning the tongues in such manner, the side pockets of the trousers are left exposed for use at all times, and, further, the upper portion of the tubular legglngs may nt snugly at the crotch so as to improve the appearance of the nt of the garment. In addition, the seat of the trousers is not covered by the leggings and thus the material cannot be damaged when the wearer is seated. Each of the tongues may be folded over the belt of the wearer so that the leggings hang from the belt and are secured thereby. Snap fasteners or other fastening devices may be employed to secure the folded-over portions of the tongues in position, and desirably provision is made for adustability by positioning a ring snap element I6 adjacent the upper end of each tongue and a plurality of co-operating stud fastening elements Il spaced at intervals in a vertical line so that the ring element I6 may be snapped over any of the stud elements l1 in order to adjust the position of the lower edge of the tubular portions Ill at the level of the lower edge of the trousers and thus a single garment may accommodate persons of varying heights. Reinforoing tapes i8 are installed along the line of the 'fastening elements Il to prevent ripping of the fabric at these points. It will also be noted that the upper portion of the garment may be formed with an inner lining Il, preferably of the same material as the main portion oi' the legging, in order to provide extra strengthv throughout the region of the tongues, as this is the area of greatest wear because of flexing of the fabric and the insertion of the snap elements.

A modification of the invention is shown in Figure 5, designed particularly for use when no ordinary belt is worn. An adjustable belt 30 having a fastening device 31| or buckle and an elastic insert 32 is specially provided and adapted to iit snugly about the waist of the wearer and serve as an anchoring device for the leggings. Snap elements 33 are attached to the inner 4 surface of the belt and corresponding snap elements 34 to engage the elements 33 are provided on the tongue 35, there being a plurality of elements 34 spaced at intervals along a vertical line for each element 33 so as to provide for adiustability of length as hereinbefore described. The area of the snaps 34 is also reinforced by tapes 38 so as to prevent the snaps from tearing loose from the fabric. This construction is particularly adaptable for use by ladies since the belt and leggings may be conveniently slipped underneath the skirt. It is also important to noto that in said modified construction only one tongue 35 is provided for each legging rather than a front and rear tongue as shown in the other views. The single tongue or tab, has been found to be sufficient for many conditions of usage.

We claim: e

A rain chap adapted to be fastened over the belt of the trousers of the wearer, comprisingI a leg-encasing, water-proof, tubular portion, a front tab, a rear tab, each of said tabs joining said tubular portion at the side belowthe open-- ing of the side pocket of said trousers each of said tabs being of relatively narrow width and extending upwardly from the crotch portion. each of said tabs diminishing in width from opposed sides of said tubular portion and including narrow tongues, each of said tongues being adapted to be fastened to hang from the belt of the wearer, and selective fastening means on said tongues whereby said chap may be raised or lowered relative to the waist of the wearer.

FRED I. HAMMAN.

LALAH LINT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Baeder Dec. l, i942 OTHER REFERENCES Number 

